Antonio Conte has been desperate to sign Italian centre-back Leonardo Bonucci and reports suggest he will offer Cesc Fabregas in a swap deal to Juventus to push the transfer through.
It is well known that the Chelsea manager has been in pursuit of the Juventus defender since the summer transfer window and the Italian champions finally look like they might be interested in doing some business.
Juventus interested in the Chelsea midfielder
As crucial as Bonucci is for the Bianconeri, their manager Massimiliano Allegri is keen on strengthening his team’s midfield which has suffered since the departures of Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal, and Paul Pogba.
Also Read: Leonardo Bonucci reveals the reason behind rejecting Chelsea and Manchester City this summer
With Fabregas, Conte seems to have the perfect bargaining chip to get the Italian defender.
It is rumoured that Juventus can be convinced to part with Bonucci in exchange for Fabregas and £50 million.
Deal could make Bonucci the costliest defender
If rumours are to be believed and if the deal goes through, the transfer would be a world record, making the Italian the most expensive defender in the world. Conte has no qualms in letting the Spaniard go as he seems to have little use for him in the Chelsea line-up.
The midfielder didn't make a start in the Premier League until the embarrassing 3-0 defeat to Arsenal and the Spaniard found himself on the bench the very next week.
Fabregas wants to stay at Chelsea
In fact, Juventus had even enquired about Fabregas’s willingness to move to Turin this summer but they were told in no uncertain terms that he wasn’t interested.
Fabregas was keen to stay with the Blues and work with their new manager.
Speaking with Codena COPE last month, he said, “I have never thought of leaving Chelsea. Madrid? There might have been calls, there might not have, but I am not thinking of leaving. The rumours over whether I am going or offering myself out tire me. Let them come out every [time]... apparently, I want to go to 20 different teams."
Chelsea bid a little under £50 million for Bonucci in the summer but couldn’t get Juventus to agree. With Chelsea planning to include Fabregas as part of the deal, there’s no reason why Juventus wouldn’t cave in and sign on the dotted line for a transfer target who’ll come free of cost.
Also Read: Cesc Fabregas dropped from Spain squad due to Real Madrid plot
The exchange could be ideal for both sides of the deal, but with the summer transfer window many months away, it will be worth seeing if the swap does goes through.
With a majority of the season left to play, Chelsea may not have the luxury to wait till next summer for a centre-back and have to come up with an alternative as soon as January.
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